and they reuse names because they have the trademark on them in the first place and know they're good to use, rather than their having the legal dept messing about confirming no other action figure has already had the new name the arty types spent two years arguing about before finally using their special formula to come up with something not very good anyway.

but mainly because the hardcore optimus fans would buy a blister-packed turd if hasbro told them it was optimus turd.

Basically the majority of character names are a "use it or lose it" affair. None are immune - Aaron Archer once said they almost lost Megatron one time, and Hasbro did lose Shockwave until very recently.

I'd prefer to keep seeing names get reused if it means they are not lost. People complained about the changes made for the Insecticon reissues, for example. Well, that's the trade off. You can either have the reused names, to enable them to be retained, or you can deal with the alternate names that never quite manage to sound as good as the originals. I personally think the way it is done right now is fine - there's a good balance of old and new, and a decent circulation of names. Plus most of the ones chosen generally fit what they are paired with.

and they reuse names because they have the trademark on them in the first place and know they're good to use, rather than their having the legal dept messing about confirming no other action figure has already had the new name the arty types spent two years arguing about before finally using their special formula to come up with something not very good anyway.

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According to this, I'm a Decepticon named Steel Bolt

....I kinda like it, I can totally use this if I ever have to rename my TFs

As a side note. If name rally bothers you about a toy, can't you just call it something else. I refer to my TRU Movie Mudflap as Hightower. So it's not like your stuck with a name. You can call it whatever you want to call it.

I take it you haven't purchased toys in a while if you have to ask the question. Do you think they really wanted to call a figure Autobot Jazz or a GI Joe diver Lt. Torpedo? No, but that's what you have to do if you don't keep using the name.

I really don't see re-using the names as a big problem because you don't have to buy a figure if you don't think it represents that character and it doesn't stop Hasbro from using that character again in the future. So I passed on movie Bonecrusher because the movie toys aren't my thing, but if we get a new style of toys down the road and a Constructicon named Bonecrusher then I'll get that figure and I'll be glad Hasbro did something to keep the name even if it was used on a figure I did not want.

I take it you haven't purchased toys in a while if you have to ask the question. Do you think they really wanted to call a figure Autobot Jazz or a GI Joe diver Lt. Torpedo? No, but that's what you have to do if you don't keep using the name.

I really don't see re-using the names as a big problem because you don't have to buy a figure if you don't think it represents that character and it doesn't stop Hasbro from using that character again in the future. So I passed on movie Bonecrusher because the movie toys aren't my thing, but if we get a new style of toys down the road and a Constructicon named Bonecrusher then I'll get that figure and I'll be glad Hasbro did something to keep the name even if it was used on a figure I did not want.